Editor Charles H. Smith's Note: A brief letter to J. F. Snyder concerning an archeological
artifact. Printed on page 240 of Snyder's interesting article "The Ohio Llama" in the December
1893 issue of The Archaeologist (Ohio); included below are Snyder's lead-in remarks. To link
directly to this page, connect with: http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/wallace/S488A.htm

. . . When the eminent scientist, Alfred Russel Wallace, a few years ago, visited the collections of
the Smithsonian Institution, the plaster cast of my Ohio llama at once attracted his attention, as
his knowledge of Peruvian antiquities caused him to recognize it as a stranger far from home. For
its history he was referred, by the curator, to me, and immediately wrote to me for the
information. In answer I communicated to him all the facts of its discovery, as narrated in this
paper, together with the opinion of Dr. Rau of the manner of its transmission to this region. In a
short time I received this courteous acknowledgement of the receipt of my letter, containing,
from such high authority, corroboration of the view I had from the first entertained in the
discussion of this matter:

"The Hamilton, Washington,
March 4th, 1887.
Dr. J. F. Snyder,

Dear Sir:--Many thanks for your interesting letter which is just what I wanted. The
authenticity of the specimen appears to be perfectly established; but Dr. Rau's theory seems
improbable and unnecessary. There was undoubtedly intercommunication, more or less frequent,
between peoples of the two continents in early times, and this is one of the indications of it. I had
seen the figures your refer me to (Ewbank's), some of which agree exactly with your specimen.
Believe me; yours very truly, etc.,